Robert Downey Jr. Says Influencers Are Not the “Stars of the Future”

Robert Downey Jr. criticized the idea that social media influencers are becoming the “stars of the future” during a recent appearance on the “Conversations for Our Daughters” podcast.

The Oscar-winning actor said modern fame can now be created “without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves,” although he added that he does not completely view influencers negatively.

“When I hear people talk about, ‘Oh, the stars of the future are going to be influencers,’ I go, ‘I don’t know what world you’re living in, but I think that that is absolute horseshit,’” Downey said.

The “Iron Man” star argued that young people should focus more on building skills, creating meaningful work and educating themselves instead of chasing online attention.

Downey also spoke about how influencer culture affected his 14-year-old son. He said his son became interested in streaming video games and asking viewers for donations online.

“It becomes a religion,” Downey said, comparing some influencers to “Evangelical hucksters of the information age.”

At the same time, the actor acknowledged that social media is still a new space and said he has met influencers he considers “grounded, accomplished, cool people.”

Despite having more than 58 million Instagram followers himself, Downey said he tries not to spend too much time on social media because he does not want to be “consumed” by it.

He also explained that he feels uncomfortable creating fake “behind-the-scenes” moments for fans online.

“I’d be manufacturing that aspect for them, so it’s B.S.,” he said.

Downey reflected on how fan culture changed during the early days of Marvel Studios. He recalled director Jon Favreau tweeting live at Comic-Con while promoting the first “Iron Man” movie, which made audiences feel more connected to the franchise.

Downey is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe later this year as Doctor Doom in “Avengers: Doomsday,” scheduled for release on Dec. 18.